Getting Squashed

Court Game Catching On At Schaumburg Club

November 02, 2000|By Carolyn Rusin. Special to the Tribune.

The game of squash has friends rallying around the courts in Schaumburg Tennis Plus. To Mohamed Barde, a strong supporter of the sport, "It's a game of chess," even though it may appear that the European sport is just a game with rackets, similar to racquetball.

Barde, 40, has become a familiar face in the sports and fitness club since he began playing squash there seven years ago.

The Westmont resident is considered one of the club's top players. He has won the club's squash trophy seven times in the annual tournament.

He has been meeting with about 40 regulars nearly every Tuesday evening and weekend morning to take part in what is referred to as a squash challenge.

"It is a mental game," he said. "You slowly set up your opponent: You're thinking, you're moving and you're trying to move your opponent out of position. You want to have your opponent to have to cover the longest distance to hit the shot. It's challenging."

He added, "If you like it a little bit, you're hooked for life, and that's what it has become for me."

The game, which is played on a four-walled, enclosed court, has been attracting players throughout the suburbs to the club--and enticing racquetball players to convert to a "squashy" ball from a hard one.

Tom Creighton, 37, of Elk Grove Village did just that 10 years ago.

"I thought it would be interesting to try, and it was a lot more difficult to play than I had anticipated. It's a more physically demanding sport than racquetball," Creighton said.

He added, "It's just the camaraderie of playing that I like."

Richard Waple of Palatine, who recently played against Creighton in a challenge, said he believes the sport is "reputationally challenged."

"It is a sport that hasn't really caught on here yet," he said. "In my opinion, this ought to be an Olympic sport."

The 48-year-old added, "I enjoy exercise, but not what I consider to be mindless exercise like treadmills," he said. "The game is a wonderful workout. But there's a lot of finesse to the game as well--the best players do not go for winning all of the time."

To accommodate players, the club is planning to convert one of its six racquetball courts into a third squash court "sometime early next year," said Jamie Coplan, assistant manager of the club, part of the Schaumburg Park District.

The club also plans to offer squash lessons by late December or early January, Coplan said.

"There are not a lot of places around that offer squash courts," she said.

She added, "Most of the guys who come here have been playing here for years. They build their friendships at a challenge court. That's where you meet everybody."

Barde said, "The game just reduces that stress from work--you can take it out on the court."

Many of his opponents are co-workers from Motorola Inc.

The group usually bets on who will buy lunch, he said. "The game is a real workout. So once you start playing, you don't have to feel guilty about eating.

"Most of us are out there just to have fun."

For more information on the squash program at the Schaumburg Park District, call 847-884-0678. For more information on other Park District programs, call 847-985-2115 or visit the Web site at www.parkfun.com.